Welded heat-transfer apparatus



May29,1928. 1,671,098-

J. E. BELL WELDED HEAT TRANSFER APPARATUS 1 Filed May 9, 1924 avwemtoz Ja/wv 5 231:1 L

3351 56 flame/1,

ag/hm Patented May 29, 1928- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. BELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T FOSTER. WHEELER CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WELDEDuHEAT-TBANSFER APPARATUS.

Application filed Kay 9, 1924. Serial No. 711,999.

My present invention relates to the construction of regenerative elements alternately exposed to contact with a relatively hot fluid and a relatively cold fluid, to thereby transfer heat from the hotter fluid to the colder fluid. The invention is characterfzed by the formation of each element of body portion and ribs of metal, separately produced and welded together.

The general objects of the invention are to provide regenerative elements of high thermal efliciency and capacity, and of such form and regularity of form that a plurali ty of such elements may be closely spaced in a stack with gas flow passagesthrough the stack so shaped and distributed as to provide a desirably high gas velocity and good contact of the gas with the elements while at the same time avoiding excessive draft loss in the regenerator.

In a preferred construction each regenerative element is. formed by welding to the opposite sides of a bar of wrought steel, transversely extending ribs or projections which may well be in the form of su'tably shaped sheet steel punchings. The regenerative element's thus formed may be produced at a relatively low cost, and with the body portion and ribs welded thereto, of the 3 tion of a regenerator in which the present invention is employed;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section, taken similarly to Fig. 1, through one of the regenerative elements;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the projections welded to the regenerative element body;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another projection welded to the regenerative body;

) proper dimensionsand shape for any inrelatively cold air to be preheated alternately flow. In the chamber A are. stacked a mass of similar regenerative elements, each of which comprises a strip-like body B, which ordinarily is a bar of rolled steel, and on each side of which are welded a plurality of spaced-apart projections or ribs D each generally similar in form to the halfof an elliptical punching of sheet steel divided along the line of its major axis. The planes of the projections D are transverse to the length of the bar B. At intervals along the length of each element rectangular projections C which may be sheet metal punchings,

are welded to the opposite sides of the bar B.- These pro ections C form spacing shoulders for the regenerative elements, and in the assembled stack of elements each set of projections C and the portions of the bars B between them form a sort of a bafile wall extending parallel to the plane of Fig. 1, in which the projections C of the elements in each upper row support the elements in the rowsabove it. Preferably the elements in adjacent horizontal rows are staggered and to permit of the desired close spacing of the superimposed rows of elements, the'vertical length of the projections C is made slightly shorter than the vertical depth of the bars B, and each bar B is notched at B between each pair of projections C to receive the adjacent projections C of elements in the rows immediately above and below.

lVith regenerative elements formed as de-- scribed, it is possible to proportion the dimensions of the barsand ribs C and D exactly as required to obtain the maximum capacity and efliciency of a regenerator of given weight and volume for use under a given set of operating conditions. The element bars and ribs may also be shaed to insure the minimum practical dra. t loss with flow in either direction. The parts will ordinarily be Welded together in suitable electric Welding apparatus, which may be arranged to eflect either spot or continuous elding.

vention as set torth iii the appended claime Having now described my invention, What I claim as new and desire'to tels Patent, is!

1. A regenerativeelement comrising: a bar of metal havinq a series 0 secure by Let parallel spaced-apart ribs wei ded to each side there of, said ribs being generally similar in form to the halves of an elliptical plate diritled. along its major axis.

2. A regenerative element comprising a bar of Wrought metal, a series of heat absorbing and dispensing ribs Welded to the sides thereof and rectangular lugs Welded to, the sides of said bar at intervals along its length and adapted to unite with the similar lugs of similar elements assembled in a stack to space the elements apart and to form a means through which the upper eleiiiehts are supported from the lower ele meets; a a i @igneii at New York city in the county of New York anti State of New York this M l'th clay of May, A. D. 1924.

JOHN E. BELL. 

